Obama calls McCain cover-up allegations 'nonsense'

11/6/12 6:33 PM EST

President Obama pledged a full investigation of the attack that killed the American ambassador in Benghazi and said the tragic raid should not detract from his record in office.

He also whacked allegations of a coverup by Sen. John McCain as "nonsense."

"Any allegations of coverup are nonsense," Obama said in an interview with KWWL in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "These are our people that we send into harm’s way. There's an investigation being done as we speak and not only will we find out exactly what happened, but we will bring to justice those who carried out this attack."

Obama said the "broader story is that in Libya as is true in many other parts of the world, America has stood by democracy, stood by the aspirations of the people of Libya and that’s why when this attack happened, you saw tens of thousands of people on the streets of Libya proclaiming that America is our friend.

"And that’s the kind of leaderhip that Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was tragically killed, was all about, and that’s what our administration's been all about," he said. "We’ll find out exactly what happened, we’ll bring those who carried this attack out to justice, but that should not detract from the fact that four years after I took office, America's respect and resolve around the world is unquestioned and that’s a big step forward."

McCain on Sunday said there was either "gross incompetence" or a "massive coverup" on the part of the administration in the Benghazi attack. He suggested on CNN that the military doesn't trust Obama because of conflicting reports following the attack.